Parents buy school places

Parents buy school places

BANGKOK (DPA): The majority of Thai parents pay "tea money," or small bribes, to assure places for their children in prestigious local schools, a poll revealed yesterday in Bangkok.

A survey conducted by Rajabhat Institute Suan Dusit showed that 74.97 percent of the respondents said they had paid bribes to university staff or brokers to assure their children places in Thai universities.

The poll found that 71.66 percent of the parents polled had paid "tea money" to vocational schools and 66.67 percent to get their children into prestigious kindergartens.

"Tea money" in Thailand is usually provided in the guise of a gift, such as an air conditioner, a vehicle or a monetary donation to a school.